


diamonds and blood

by tigriswolf



Series: dark fairy tales [26]
Category: Cinderella - All Media Types, Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Blood Magic, Character Death, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Poetry, Revenge, commas change meanings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 04:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8696365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: There is a price to magic,always, no matter what fools say.There is a price that must be paid.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title: diamonds and blood  
> Prompt: illuminating  
> Written November 28, 2016

The mirror shatters.

She grins, twirling around the floor,  
the prince’s eyes only on her,  
music spiraling and whispers on the air.  
She smiles, stepping in,  
his hands firm on her hips.

Godmother’s magic gleams,  
diamonds and pearls sparkling,  
silver tiara on dark hair,  
her lips blood red.  
The prince does not look away.

The clock strikes a quarter ‘til;  
she takes no notice.  
The spell will not fade,  
still draining her silly sister’s life.  
_Beware, my dear,_ Godmother murmured,  
but she was well prepared.

There is a price to magic,  
always, no matter what fools say.  
There is a price that must be paid.  
She leans into the prince,  
presses her lips to his throat  
to inhale his scent.

The clock strikes midnight.  
In a house on the edge of town,  
a girl gasps her last breath,  
blood pooled and drying on the floor.

 _Beware, my dear,_ Godmother murmured,  
but she smiled, blade in hand,  
and her silly sister waited too long to flinch.  
The prince lowers his head,  
captivated by her gaze,  
her tanned arms, gloved hands,  
the glinting jewels on her chest.

They ask:  
_Who is she?_  
_Where has she been?_  
_She’s so beautiful._  
_I haven’t a chance with the prince._

She laughs, pressing against him,  
a murmur rising on the breeze  
no one else hears.  
A quarter after, half past,  
and then one is gone.

A domineering mother discovers her daughter’s corpse  
in a house on the edge of town.  
No servants remain employed here,  
only a dead husband’s child  
who silently obeyed as all her rights were stripped away.

 _Beware, my dear_ , Godmother warned  
but she did nothing as the girl  
twisted the magic to her will.

 _Marry me,_ the prince begs  
as they walk in the garden,  
hand clutching hers so tightly both ache.  
_Become my wife, please,_ he begs,  
kissing her breathless,  
the scent of roses on the air.

 _Yes_ , she whispers  
and the first enchantment breaks.

 _Beware my dear,_ Godmother sighs.

The sun rises  
and another woman dies  
in a house on the edge of town.

The prince is caught,  
gazing at her in rags,  
dark hair loose over her shoulders,  
all jewels gone.  
_Marry me,_ the prince pleads,  
taking her hand,  
pressing her knuckles to his lips.

She never returns to  
the house on the edge of town.  
No one sets foot in the house  
because the earth swallows it—  
The cost is high,  
but she is clever enough to not pay.

 _Beware my dear_ , Godmother whispers  
as she kisses the prince,  
a tiara glinting on her head.  
She is wed to a prince  
and soon  
—sooner than anyone expects—  
she will be queen.  
_Beware my dear_ , Godmother warns,  
but no one hears.

Godmother once promised to protect a child.  
She soon wished she hadn’t  
but magic is tricky and exacting,  
and she is bound tight.  
A merchant’s daughter becomes a slave,  
and a slave becomes a queen.

The mirror shatters.  
_Beware, my dear,_ the queen tells her daughter,  
magic singing on the air  
as glass pieces back together,  
the princess gasping in awe.  
_Learn, my sweet_ , the queen laughs,  
and Godmother, far away, closes her eyes.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Chime clock,chime as ash falls and falls, as glass shatters, for midnight has come and she is dancing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11828925) by [avaloncat555](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avaloncat555/pseuds/avaloncat555)




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